Unfolding Ageism: A Comparative Study of the Divided Ethnic Communities in Cyprus

Abstract

The aims and objectives of this article are to present the first survey ever conducted in Cyprus of the views and perceptions that Cypriots have of old age. In particular, the researchers, Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot social workers, wanted to explore the issue of ageism within the two Cypriot communities, the Greek-Cypriot (Greek-speaking) and the Turkish-Cypriot (Turkish-speaking) populations. Against all odds, the two social workers, one from each community, began collaborating towards the exploration and comparison of social issues in the two Cypriot ethnic communities. Because the two communities have been forced to live separately since 1974, researchers aimed to investigate whether this long separation affected their views on old age. The study was also run online, and the survey was designed with the use of Google Forms. Although the results of the study are not significantly different between the two communities, the current survey explores the preservation of common cultural and social views and values among the two ethnic communities, despite their forced separation.

Keywords

• ageism
• older adults
• Greek-Cypriots
• Turkish-Cypriots